About Our Organization

Empowering Women and Communities

New Jersey International Pageants recognizes the accomplishments of women in the community.  The International Pageant system has been developed to promote today’s women, their achievements, and their commitment to integrity, community, and being positive role models. 

Judges Chairperson

Danielle Micale

Danielle is a former Mrs. NJ International 2011 and Mrs. Northeast International 2014, spent her years of service and has made a career of working with the aging population. She is passionate about finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, a disease that took her grandmother, Millie.

Auditor

Melissa Hagerty

Melissa is employed by Amerihealth as a Workforce Management Business Analyst. In her spare time, she enjoys staying busy by doing triathlons, traveling and spending time with family, especially at the Jersey shore!

Emcee

Lidia Szczepanowski

Lidia is a former Mrs. NY International 2009 and has held numerous state and national titles. She is a distinguished attorney, motivational speaker and inventor of Sculptura Fashions.  Lidia resides in New York and is living her absolute BEST life!

Official Photographer

Richard Krauss

Richard has been a professional photographer for 35 years, capturing the pageant scene for the last twenty. He has been the official photographer of both the PA and NJ International Pageants since 2010, shooting some of the areas most beautiful women.

Legal Liason

Susan Nardone

Susan is a former Deputy Attorney General in New Jersey and now serves as a mediator.  She has held several state and national pageant titles, including Mrs. Pennsylvania International 2008 and Mrs. Northeast International 2013.  She enjoys travel, especially when it involves skiing, and is pursuing her private pilots' license.

Event Concierge

Beth Leska

Beth is a former NJ state titleholder and Pennsylvania International competitor.  She currently works in the financial services industry but is most proud that she served our country as a member of the Military Police in the US Army, attached to the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Beauty Director

Nydia Figueroa

Nydia is a Celebrity Makeup Artist, Educator and Owner of Faces by Nydia Makeup Studio and Bridal Suite. Her looks have been featured on wide range television, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, the Grammys, New York Fashion Week and the Miss Universe Organization, to name a few.

Assistant Beauty Director

Kris Ruiz

As a celebrity hair and makeup artist for over 11 years, Kris has made a huge impact in the pageant world as one of the most sought out artists in the field working with state, national and international pageant queens, not to mention models in NY Fashion Week and the VS Fashion Show.

Christopher Willshire

Chris is a long time veteran of pageantry at all levels. He has served as a judge, mentor, volunteer, coach and directed at the state level for 10 years. He has a 30 year tenure with the Miss America Organization and has worked with well-known figures in fashion and entertainment for years. Educated in International studies at American University, Chris is an award-winning writer and marketer and currently leads US recruitment marketing for the professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP.

Michele Zandman-Frankel

Michele is the proud co-owner of RevolutioniZe Nutrition in Manalapan, NJ since 2013. Preparing for her own fitness competition, it was obvious that Michele had a gift, one that continues to changes hundreds of lives. Working with everyday people to develop a healthy relationship with food is her life. In 2017, Michele became a Professional Figure Athlete in the International Federation of Bodybuilding. Michele is living her best life alongside her partner in crime and husband, Randy. She lives her life optimistically, rolls with the punches and knows how to let everyday nonsense roll off her back. She is everyone’s biggest cheerleader as her REV family continues to become the best version of themselves.

George Yanoshik, Jr.

George comes to us from suburban Philadelphia and brings four decades of pageant service to our judges panel. His involvement began in the Miss America Organization in 1980 as a local volunteer and has continued in every facet along the way. He is currently the Judges Chairman for the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Foundation. His love for judging has him traveling all over the country. In 2017 he was a member of the state judging panel for Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen who went on to win the national title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. George is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Multi-Media Journalism and Public Relations. He is currently employed in Physician Relations for Patient First.

Marci McNair

Marci was Mrs. Pennsylvania International 2013 and surely knows what the International Pageant system is all about. She has been involved in pageantry for over 30 years as a competitor, emcee, judge and volunteer. Marci is a graduate of Lehigh University and Delaware Law School. She is a licensed attorney in both Delaware and New Jersey. In 2017 she made the easiest decision of her life... to leave the practice of law to care for her son after his diagnosis of autism. This Supermom is a full-time stay at home advocate for her son, KJ. Marci is happily married to her husband, Kevin and they reside in historic Newtown, PA. Marci enjoys hikes with her family, travel and digital scrapbooking.

Lynn Biot-Gordon

Lynn is a licensed clinical social worker with a Master of Work degree from Boston University. She is a Founder and Chief Operating Officer for the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. She is a member of the Abuse Deterrent Coalition and an older adult advocate. Lynn enjoys staying fit by working out as well as competing and coaching semi-professional figure skating. She is the proud daughter of the late Charlie Biot, a professional player with the Negro League. Lynn is married with two children and currently resides in South Orange, NJ.